It has a capacity for 5,100 inmates.The CACCO was built with the help of the Salvadoran government on the outskirts of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, at a cost of $35m. Fernandez inaugurated it on October 15.“CACCO is a monument to national security, a forceful response to organized crime, and a guarantee that the state will exercise its authority without hesitation,” the statement added.The new facility has a capacity equivalent to 20 percent of the country’s prison population and “will also help reduce overcrowding in the prison system”, according to Aguilar.Costa Rica, long regarded as one of the safest countries in Latin America, has in recent years experienced a sharp rise in violence linked to drug trafficking and organised crime.
It witnessed a record-setting 905 homicides in 2023, followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025.Authorities attribute most killings to disputes between criminal groups over drug trafficking routes and markets.Right-wing leaders in other Latin American countries have also sought to replicate the mega-prison model.